Meet Mr. Happy Face, the World's Ugliest Dog with the 'sweetest soul'

When Jeneda Benally registered Mr. Happy Face for the World's Ugliest Dog contest, she didn't think he could possibly win because he's "too beautiful."

But the rescued 17-year-old Chihuahua-Chinese crested mix with a protruding tongue, tilted head and white mohawk came out on top.

"I describe Mr. Happy Face as having the ears of a bat, the tufted hair like Robert Smith from The Cure, a tongue longer than Gene Simmons quite possibly, a snarl just as cool as Billy Idol, and he's got eyes that are filled with so much love," Benally told As It Happens guest host Ginella Massa.

"I think Mr. Happy Face is a glorious creature."

'Homely hounds and the humans who love them'

The World's Ugliest Dog contest, held annually at the Sonoma-Marin Fair in Petaluma, Calif., "celebrates homely hounds and the humans who love them," the contest organizers said in a press release.

The idea is to promote adoption and rescue, especially for pooches that might otherwise be overlooked. The winner gets a $1,500 US ($1,930 Cdn) prize and a trip to New York City to appear on the Today show.

"Many of the contestant dogs have been rescued from shelters and puppy mills, to find loving homes in the hands of those willing to adopt," the organizers wrote.

Mr. Happy Face exemplifies that mission perfectly.

"He's getting a lot of extra attention, and I think that's pretty fabulous for him. I mean, considering that when I adopted him from the shelter just 10 months ago, he was considered to be probably the most unadoptable dog there," Benally said.

That's not just because of his unusual esthetic. He also has tumours and neurological issues that require lifelong medicine and medical care.

As a survivor of neglect and hoarding, he's also got some psychological wounds.

"When I adopted him, he was afraid of human touch," Benally said. "It took three months until I was allowed to touch Mr. Happy Face's face."

Benally says that when she adopted Mr. Happy Face, she was told he only had an estimated six weeks to live at the most. She took him home anyway, hoping to provide some love and comfort in his final days.

Ten months later, he's going strong.

"So it definitely shows what love and caring and nurturing can do to someone's life," she said.

Nowadays, Benally says Mr. Happy Face is thriving and spreading joy wherever he goes. She's a musician and plans to take the pooch on tour with her this summer, and host meet and greets with him before and after each show. She's also hoping to set up some visitations with children's hospitals.

"Even though I named him Mr. Happy Face because I thought his face was happy, I have seen the joy and the happiness, the smiles, that he brings to other people's faces," she said.

"So I kind of feel like, well, maybe I named him because it's the effect that he has on people. And maybe I just didn't know that yet."

Benally supports the contest's mission to promote adoption. As a Navajo woman, she says she wants to use Mr. Happy Face's newfound fame to promote organizations that help "rez dogs" — stray dogs that live in First Nations or Native American reservations — including the Blackhat Humane Society, Mountain Girl Rescue and the Tuba City Humane Society.

After all, she says doing something kind is the best way to honour Mr. Happy Face — a dog who, despite his "Ugliest" title, brings beauty to the world.

"He is the sweetest soul that one could ever hope to encounter in their life," she said.

Written by Sheena Goodyear. Interview produced by Kate Swoger.